“Mama Bear” Full Moon in Cancer
On January 13th, we have a Full Moon in Cancer. The Moon thrives in Cancer; it rules this sign and embodies nurturing. Cancer, as a zodiac sign, prioritizes home, family, and community, and individuals with many Cancer placements tend to be very devoted to their family—that's the essence of it. However, looking at the chart, we see Mars, the god of war, alongside the full moon. Introducing Mars to the equation infuses a kind of Mama Bear energy, fiercely protective of loved ones. It can also trigger some conflicts within family dynamics.
An added flavor to this full moon suggests an excess of mothering, nurturing, or simply too much of a good thing. I mention this for a couple of reasons. First, the Full Moon occurs in the last “decan” (10 degrees) of Cancer. The tarot card linked with this decan is the Four of Cups.
4 of Cups, Rider Waite Tarot
The tarot 4s represent static energy, suggesting a lack of dynamism in the energy of their corresponding suit. In the 4 of Cups, a man sits beside a tree with three cups in front of him. Someone offers him a fourth cup, and he gives off the vibe of, "Whoa, I’ve got enough!" Sometimes, when we have planets in Cancer III, we experience too much of a good thing and feel overwhelmed by life’s abundance.
The chart’s connection between Venus and Jupiter also has a flavor of “too much.” Venus is in the second decan of Pisces (Pisces II), which corresponds to the Nine of Cups in the tarot deck. Here, we see a chubby, satisfied figure, also carrying a sense of abundance of pleasure.
9 of Cups Rider Waite Tarot
Venus is also in a “square” to Jupiter, the god of exuberance, expansion, and optimism. Squares are “of the nature of Mars” and can carry a sense of conflict or a need to adapt in a “one-up/one-down” situation with another person. While any connection between the two benefic planets is usually a good thing, it can also indicate an (over)abundance (Jupiter) of pleasure (Venus), especially when the planets square each other.
Another fascinating aspect of the chart is that the moon’s nodes shift signs on the same day as the Full Moon. This is illustrated in the chart, where arrows indicate the transition of the nodes from Libra and Aries to Pisces and Virgo.
Full Moon in Cancer, January 13, 2025, at 4:26 p.m. CST
Some folks may have a significant event happen when the nodes shift signs. When I do client readings, I look back at charts for important events in their lives. Often, these events correspond to dates when the moon's nodes are at 29°. Since the nodes move backward relative to other planets, when they are at 29°, it indicates they have just entered a sign, bringing forth a new energy.
The moon’s nodes in a transit chart stay in a sign for about a year and a half, meaning we will experience eclipses in the Pisces and Virgo houses of our chart during that time. Eclipses and the shifting of nodes can introduce karmic corrections into our lives. They appear in those areas of our charts, prompting us to question whether we align with that energy. Is there something you're holding onto that may have outlived its usefulness in the Virgo house of your chart? Are you ready to allow a new experience into your life in the Pisces house of your chart?
That’s where an eclipse might come into play. It might urge you to release certain aspects of your life, potentially marking endings or heralding new beginnings—new things coming into your life.
As always, the lunation will affect you differently depending on the placements in your birth chart. If you have planets at or near 23 degrees of the Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn), the Full Moon will likely have a more significant impact on you. If you’d like to know more about how this Full Moon might affect you, you can book a reading below.